Florida Creatives – Creating a Community of Innovation

Some time ago, I was cruising the Coworking wiki and I saw some info about Jelly, which is essentially "living room coworking". I remember making an edit to the wiki at the time and adding Orlando and a link here or an email to invite people over for Jelly at my place, but I can't even find that entry now.

Nonetheless, as Anna Jane Grossman was writing this article about NYC Jelly for wired.com, she must have stumbled across a message that had my post. Here's a little of the article:

Freelancers Forgo Office Space for Casual Coworking

Every other Thursday, these twenty-something web workers take over Gupta's dormlike apartment. They use his wireless connection, tap away at their computers and occasionally converse. Gupta, who runs the website and newsletter Photojojo, operates as the resident host-cum-office manager.

Jelly meetings are a way for folks who usually work at home to get out of the house, find kindred workers to collaborate with, or simply to socialize -- without having to commit to the gym-like membership setup of most of the country's coworking arrangements, where rented office spaces feel much like a traditional workplace and require a regular financial commitment beyond the means of most freelancers. Indeed, the term "office" can happily be avoided all together with Jelly. Unlike most coworking setups, Jelly exists for only one day every other week, and it's free.

Gupta's Jelly was the first, but in the last year, similarly named gatherings have popped up in cities throughout the world, from London to Austin to Orlando. One might say it's a swing of the pendulum for many freelancers, who are learning that what they imagined would be a life of freedom working in their pajamas often translates into lonely, 18-hour days in a cramped apartment.

I think Alex and Josh's idea of "Brown Bag Lunch" sort of falls into this category, but I wouldn't call it an official Jelly. I'll be moving much closer to downtown in a month or two and I hope to have some nice spaces available. Anyone out there want to Jelly? The Philly people called theirs Cream Cheese, ours could be Marmalade...?